


The Orphan of Orphan 55

by AXEe



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s12e03 Orphan 55, F/F, Gen, One Shot, Reunions, Spoilers for Episode: s12e03 Orphan 55
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22238560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Spoilers for "Orphan 55".   While fleeing from the Dregs, The Doctor comes across another orphan...
Relationships: The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler, Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 20
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [liquorice_wb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liquorice_wb/gifts).



> As thanks for the prompt :=)

******

They were surrounded.

Dregs coming at them from all sides out of the fog. To The Doctor’s right, Kane opened fire, felling one Dreg only for two more to charge up to replace their fallen comrade.

Suddenly there was a sharp whistle, a wooden arrow suddenly striking one Dreg in the neck. Turning to face this new threat, several more Dreg fell as they suddenly stepped on what appeared to be a series tripwires, several sharpened rocks flying up to strike them.

With a clatter, a figure half-ran, half-slid down the hillside, their hood falling back as they reached the bottom, long dark blonde hair fanning out as the woman used what looked like a slingshot to disable two more Dregs.

“COME ON!!” she yelled, beckoning them over.

“Right! You heard the lady!” Graham yelled, Ryan and Yaz helping Vilma as the others followed the woman’s call, disappearing into the mist as the woman—as _Rose Tyler_ —grabbed The Doctor’s hand, pulling her along, weaving in and out of various hidden traps which snared more Dregs.

“Here! Here!” Rose urged her down a metal opening in the ground, frantically sealing the hatch behind them.

“Doctor?” Yaz questioned hesitantly.

Turning, The Doctor jumped at the sight of more Dregs surrounding them, but they didn’t attack, merely stood there. Slowly, one took a step forward, glancing at Rose.

“It’s all right,” Rose told it “they’re friends”

The Dreg sniffed, letting out a wheeze as it slowly studied the group.

“ _ **Unchangggged**_ ” it rasped out.

“Yeah,” Rose nodded “they’re from the spa”

The Dreg nodded.

“ _ **Willld onesssss**_ ” it rasped out. With a short roar, it turned, the others following it deeper into the tunnels, seemingly unconcerned with the rifle that Kane was aiming at them.

“That won’t work in here,” Rose remarked as she found and fiddled with a console of some sort “dampening field” she explained as Kane took aim at her, the rifle suddenly sparking in her hands, causing her to drop it.

Ignoring Kane, Rose adjusted a dial, before pulling a lever, a rippling blue-white bubble expanding out from the console.

“Oxygen bubble,” The Doctor realized “very nice”

“I try” Rose shrugged as The Doctor slowly approached her.

“How are you here?” she asked.

Smirking, Rose reached down and pulled something off the floor, holding it out to The Doctor.

“That looks like Russian” Graham remarked as he and Yaz came over to examine the sign that Rose held out to them.

“It _is_ Russian,” Rose confirmed “this is—or, used to be—the Siberian underground” she explained.

“This is Earth?” Ryan asked.

“Used to be” Rose nodded as she pulled off her oxygen mask.

“This is Pete’s World?!” The Doctor exclaimed.

“Like I said, it used to be” Rose nodded…

******

Sometime later, and The Doctor found herself nibbling on some kind of ration bar as she watched Rose fiddle with the controls of their safe haven.

“So it’s H.G. Wells,” she remarked “humanity devolves into two similar but separate species”

“Basically,” Rose nodded “most are like the ones you saw; violent animals, but others are still human. On the inside anyway” she explained.

Nodding, The Doctor found and righted a chair and sat down in it.

“I’m sorry” she said without preamble.

“It’s not your fault,” Rose dismissed evenly “you didn’t know”

“But I should have” The Doctor insisted,

“But you didn’t” Rose dismissed evenly.

“But if I’d known, I could have spared you all of this!” The Doctor exclaimed.

Suddenly standing up, Rose came over to her, crouching before her and gently taking her hands.

“But you _didn’t_ ,” she repeated “you’re not God, Doctor. No matter what the legends say”

Sighing, knowing that she’d never win this argument, The Doctor could only pull Rose close.

“If we get out of this, I’m taking you with me,” she murmured into Rose’s hair “you can go wherever you want after that, but if you think I’m going to leave you behind here, you’ve got another thing coming”

Slowly, she felt Rose start to tremble, not from tears she quickly realized, but from laughter.

“Why would I go anywhere but the TARDIS?” she laughed as she pulled back.

Grinning, The Doctor pulled her close, squeezing tightly.

“You know, I haven’t even asked if you noticed anything different about me” she chuckled.

“You’re still not ginger?”

“Yes, and…?”

“Still got a gob”

“Yes, and…?”

Rose laughed, shaking her head.

“I don’t care,” she stated “you’ll always be The Doctor to me, no matter what you look like” she declared, leaning in to press her lips against The Doctor’s own…

**END**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Separate story, not connected to chapter one. Just because :=)

******

“ _Please get to a breathable atmosphere_ ”

The Doctor scowled as her oxygen system continued babbling in the background. Respiratory bypass or not, she still needed to breath, and trying to keep slow and not waste oxygen had only made her lag behind from the others.

Panting, she leaned against the wall, her vision was starting to swim and blur, and she was starting to hallucinate. She had to have been, otherwise it mean that Rose Tyler really was walking towards her, that Rose Tyler was catching her as her knees gave out, that Rose Tyler was holding an oxygen mask over her face.

Sucking in a desperate gulp of air, she felt her head clear, the dizziness receded, and her vision cleared.

And Rose Tyler was still there.

Reaching out, The Doctor gripped Rose’s shoulder, poking and prodding at the leather. Yep, still there.

“Oh, and here’s me thinking that today couldn’t get any more surprising” she muttered as she pulled the oxygen mask off.

“You all right?” Rose asked, her voice muffled behind her own mask, but even with that, The Doctor could see those bright brown eyes twinkling, could see the recognition in them. Even centuries on, three or four regenerations on, she still recognized The Doctor.

“I’m good,” The Doctor nodded dimly “so,” she panted out “not just Earth, but Pete’s Earth” she realized.

“Yeah,” Rose nodded, as a growl in the darkness had them both turning “c’mon” Rose urged.

“What happened here?” The Doctor demanded as Rose tugged her along the debris-laden corridor.

“What _didn’t_ happen,” Rose scoffed “global warming, famine, war. Take your pick”

“Total environmental collapse,” The Doctor sighed, pausing to take another breath of oxygen “so, wait, that means that the Dregs…”

Rose paused, turning to face her, nodding grimly.

“Humans,” she confirmed “what’s left of them anyway” she explained as she examined a scanner-type device on her arm.

“Rose…,” The Doctor began “how long have you been here?”

Rose shrugged.

“One? Two hundred years? I don’t know” she turned, aiming her flashlight down the corridor, tugging The Doctor along.

“What? All by yourself? The Doctor exclaimed. She frowned “oh!” she exclaimed “oh! I get it! The Dregs! They’re not just mindless animals, are they? No, they’re still Human, inside”

Rose nodded.

“Most of them are like the ones out there,” she confirmed “but a few of them are harmless, just trying to survive,” she nodded “I watched them change,” she continued “over the generations. It was kind of fascinating, honestly”

The Doctor tugged her to a stop.

“You’re coming with me,” she stated “back to the TARDIS”

Rose smirked.

“First we have to get out of here alive” she countered.

“I’m thinking ahead,” The Doctor declared “power of positive thinking, Tyler!”

Rose laughed.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Yep” The Doctor nodded.

“Well, all right then” Rose nodded…

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
